Who We Are
The Don & Jane Klein Story
A Legacy of Family, Community & Service
The Don & Jane Klein Endowment Fund is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization created to honor two people who believed deeply in family, community, service, and giving back.
Don and Jane Klein shared 49 years of marriage and built a life together rooted in their family and the Lenexa community. While each made their own unique mark, together they created a legacy of involvement, leadership, and service that continues today through the Endowment Fund bearing their names.
As a 501(c)(3) charitable organization, the Don & Jane Klein Endowment Fund is committed to carrying their values forward by supporting local students through scholarships, giving back to organizations that make a difference in our community, and helping ensure Don and Jane's spirit of service continues for generations to come.
Their legacy is our mission: honoring the past, supporting our community, and investing in the future.
About Don
Don lived an eventful life filled with family, sports, service, and community involvement.
A talented athlete from an early age, Don reached an incredible milestone in 1953 when he was drafted by the St. Louis Cardinals as a pitcher. His love of sports remained with him throughout his life. He was also a champion horseshoe pitcher and an avid sports fan, but during his retirement years, his favorite games were often the ones involving his grandchildren. Don rarely missed an opportunity to be in the stands watching them play.
Don proudly served his country in the Army National Guard and dedicated countless hours to the community he called home.
He served seven years on the Lenexa City Council, was a member of Holy Trinity Catholic Church and Michael White American Legion Post 407, and remarkably served for 50 years as President of the Lenexa Gun Club.
Professionally, Don spent 20 years with the JCPenney Catalog Distribution Center, bringing the same dedication and work ethic to his career that he demonstrated throughout his life.
Don believed in showing up—for his family, his community, and the people around him.
About Jane
If there was something happening in Lenexa, there was a pretty good chance Jane Klein was there.
For more than 30 years, Jane was an active and passionate advocate for the city she loved. She believed that being part of a community meant getting involved, representing its people, and working to make it better for the generations that followed.
Jane's community involvement was extensive. She served organizations and causes including the Holy Trinity Building Committee, Lenexa Chamber of Commerce, Lenexa Historical Society, Lenexa Kiwanis, Johnson County Task Force on Drug and Alcohol, Lenexa Safety Council, Kansas Cavalry, National League of Cities, Shawnee Planning Commission, Lenexa Planning Commission, VFW Post 7397 Ladies Auxiliary, American Legion Post 407 Ladies Auxiliary, and many others.
Her greatest public-service commitment came through an extraordinary 20 years on the Lenexa City Council, where she served in several leadership roles, including Council President.
But Jane didn't simply serve the city from a council seat—she became part of the fabric of Lenexa.
She was a constant supporter of city activities and community events. For more than 20 years, Jane served as a judge at the Lenexa BBQ Contest. Whether it was a meeting, celebration, festival, or city-sponsored event, people knew they could count on Jane to be there.
Those who knew Jane also knew she had three great loves in her life:
Her Family. Her City. Her Irish Heritage.
And depending on the day, not necessarily in that order.
About Klein Endowment
Our Mission
Their Legacy Lives On
Don and Jane believed in their family. They believed in their community. And perhaps most importantly, they believed in showing up and helping others.
Those values became the foundation of the Don & Jane Klein Endowment Fund.
What began as a way to honor two remarkable lives has become a way to invest in the future. Through scholarships and charitable giving, the Endowment Fund helps provide opportunities for young people while supporting causes that strengthen the community Don and Jane spent so much of their lives serving.
Their names may be on the Fund, but its purpose is about the generations that come next.
Don and Jane spent their lives giving back to their family and community. Today, their legacy continues by giving others an opportunity to move forward.